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No one else was involved in the plan hatched by the two youngsters, police said.
Lt. Joseph Soto issued this statement:
“Police Chief David V. Murphy reported that the police department received a report from Eastern Christian Middle School staff on Wednesday, April 18th at approximately 4:41 p.m. The staff reported that two 13-year-old female students were missing and were last observed walking off of school property at approximately 3:10 p.m.
“Detectives and officers of the department immediately gathered all pertinent information and began their investigation.
"Early on, information was developed that revealed this was a planned departure by the girls and that they were planning to ‘run away.’ With this in mind, officers continued to pursue the investigation and enlisted the assistance of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit….
“Both agencies continued to work throughout the night aggressively pursuing all leads and interviewing numerous persons.
“At approximately 3:50 a.m., both females were found safe and unharmed by investigating officers and turned over to the care of their parents.
“It was confirmed that they had planned to run away and no other persons were involved.
“We would like to remind everyone that both girls are minors. As such, we ask for privacy for the girls and their families during this time.
“Chief Murphy would like to thank the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as all of the local police departments that assisted.”
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